Getting Your Back Fixed

Few things are more frustrating than dealing with a bad back. Unfortunately, I found myself in that situation a few months back after I sprained my back lifting my baby. It was absolutely debilitating, but I knew that I was going to have to live with it. I kept trying to clean my house, look after my kids, and handle my daily chores, but the pain just kept getting worse. Fortunately, a friend of mine recommended a great chiropractor that could help. He adjusted my back and things started to get better. This blog is all about the benefits of working with a professional.

The Role of Chiropractic Care in a Depression Treatment Plan

Blog

Conditions that cause pain can affect your mood. For instance, many people who suffer chronic pain disorders also suffer with anxiety. It can work the other way too. People with anxiety often experience physical symptoms.

Chronic pain disorders, including neck and back pain, are common complaints of people with anxiety disorders. But no matter which symptom occurs first – pain or anxiety – by treating painful conditions of the back and neck, a chiropractor can help minimize the effects of anxiety and depression on your life.

How Chronic Pain Leads to Depression

Individuals dealing with chronic pain can become depressed, often as the result of decreased mobility or increased difficulty carrying out daily tasks. If you live in constant pain, you can become agitated or irritable and find it hard to get restful sleep.

Both chronic pain and anxiety can become worse if you don't get enough sleep. Since the central nervous system controls both sleep and pain, pain interferes with sleep and poor sleep then exacerbates pain or makes the pain you feel more difficult to tolerate. These factors combined can lead to depression and diminished quality of life.

Not only can lack of sleep and chronic pain limit your physical activities, you may begin to lose the desire to work. As the stresses in your life build, so can your pain and depression. Unfortunately, depression can make pain more difficult to treat.

How a Chiropractor Can Help

Chiropractors treat many conditions, including neck and back issues, that cause chronic pain. Spinal misalignment can cause pain – sometimes pain so severe that it affects how you process the world around you. Consequently, your mental health can suffer as much as your physical health as you struggle to cope with chronic pain and go about your normal daily activities.

A chiropractor looks for a spinal misalignment and then makes chiropractic adjustments to treat neck and back pain. If you are having sleep problems because of pain, chiropractic adjustments and mild exercise, gentle massage, and joint mobilization may help. When you experience less pain, your ability to function improves and you may sleep better. Feeling better physically helps you feel better emotionally – both factors that can help break the cycle of depression.

Chiropractors who also offer nutrition counseling may advise you on what foods to avoid that can worsen your anxiety symptoms and any musculoskeletal conditions that may be contributing to your chronic pain.

What Researchers Found

Recent research found that chiropractic treatment of the upper cervical spine can help alleviate the pain that often coexists with depression, thereby reducing anxiety. Besides suffering less from anxiety, individuals who participated in a study published in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research reported:

  • Feeling less tension in their muscles

  • Having more physical energy

  • Being able to think more clearly

Chiropractors generally address issues related to the body's musculoskeletal and nervous systems through the use of manual manipulation. In doing so, chiropractic treatment focuses on aligning the spine, decreasing muscle tightness and spasms, and increasing range of motion. Targeting these problems makes movement less painful, reducing stress and helping to diminish the pain that can contribute to depression.

If you have chronic back and neck pain that contribute to your depression, consider contacting a local chiropractor to discuss your options.

Share

7 April 2016